1EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
ifeu – Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg
Expert Meeting onLCA GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
EEA Copenhagen, 10 June 2008
Beyond biofuelsmethodological and data issues for bioenergycurrent work in Germany
Horst Fehrenbach
in cooperation with
2EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
… more than biodiesel and ethanol
(Solid) Biomass is in use since the Stone Age.
Even today 10 % of world energy use is solid biomass – traditionally applied (cooking and heating).Today’s technologies are highly efficient.
Biogas is much notably presumed to be efficient and environmentally sound.And can be even as fuel for transport.
3EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
… more than biodiesel and ethanol
However biomass for electricity and heat has to be judged by the same measure as biofuels for transportation.
But there are a number of special issues concerning bioenergy fuel.
4EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Need for action in Germany
The Renewable Energy Act (EEG):
benefits several types of renewable energy,
so biomass for energy use.
The currently amended version empowers the government to pass a regulation defining sustainable production and use of biomass.
Analogously to the Biomass Sustainability Regulation (biofuel for transportation)= analogously to RES Directive
5EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Need for action in Germany
Ministry for Environment (BMU) and Federal Environment Ageny (UBA)
requested IFEU and Öko-Institut to adapt the biofuel GHG methodology for biomass for energy and to develop default values.
6EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Selected solid biomass
Wood• Chopped wood and/or pellets harvested from Short rotation forestry (SRF)
• Pellets - from thinning or other forestry measures - from wood-working co-products (e.g. saw-dust)
Ligno-cellulosic materials • Straw and stalks from cereal production
organic waste
7EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Selected biogas systems
Produced biomass• Maize Silage (EU)
Co-products
• Stillage from EtOH production
organic waste
• Biowaste (households, restaurants etc.)
• Manure
8EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Selected liquid biofuels
The ones yet considered within the BSR
( rapeseed oil, soybean oil, palm oil
But also
Jatropha oil
9EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Selected technique for usage
Solid biomass: • CHP• (Stirling motor)• (gasification)
Biogas
Liquid biofuels
• CHP (gas motor)• upgrading to biomethane and diverse use
• CHP
10EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Differences in GHG methodology compared to liquid biofuels f.tr.
(RES, BioNachV) Above all: no need for a fundamentally different approach.
However there is a number of specific aspects.
Taking for example:• appropriate time scale (longer term growing cycles),• Special land use change issues concerning carbon stock,
(if forestry technology is changing or SRF is implemented)• co-products
- energy wood harvested by thinning, other forest co-products- agricult. residues (e.g. straw is waste acc. to RES)
• Waste: alternative treeatment/use/non-use (e.g. manure)
11EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Differences in GHG balancing methods compared to liquid biofuels
Most decisive: the “Use Phase”
For liquid biofuel for transportation minor (negligible) issue
For energy use: efficiency is the decisive parameter.
Connected issue: what kind of energy is replaced? system boundary reference system
12EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
System boundary
Land use change e.g. natural forest to short rotation forest
Production of biomass (forestry, agriculture)
Transport of biomass
Conversion process (where required)
Transport of converted / processed biomass
Use phase(which way, which efficiency)
Starting point if biomass is waste
Co-products? allocation
Requirements for replaced reference systempower heat
Co-products? allocation
Alternative treatment or use or non-use
13EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
What reference system
Electricity:
regional differentiation: is it fair to have different references
per country? „better use biomass in DE, UK than in
FR, SE“
Average or marginal or …? average mix: is this an appropriate
reference ? marginal effect: can this be defined in
an accurate way? Model?
14EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
What reference system
example: electricity from wood compared with diverse national averages
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
woodfromforest
woodfromSRF
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
g C
O2e
/kW
h e
lect
rici
ty
average mix from several G8+5 countriesAverage mix from several countries
15EEA expert meeting Copenhagen 10 June 08 GHG methodologies for bioenergy beyond biofuels
Default values?
First: we are on the way to figure out the bunch of sensitive parameters and the bandwidth due to the number of open options.
Top Related